Funny Side Up...

Congratulations: Take a bow Sir!!! A career spanning 2 decades, (bat)tling the expectations, the pressure and the criticism. And when you consider the rate at which children are born in India , the number of people expecting him to perform everytime, increases every second. For someone who has gone through all this pressure and more, numbers seem to be insignificant but nonetheless they just testify the class of Sachin Tendulkar, God to his fans, terror for the opponents, role-model of many a youngsters, motivator in the dressing room and yet a quintessential boy next door. Congratulations Sachin Tendulkar

A very closely contested series between India and Australia just concluded. As an Indian cricket fan, I am very glad we won, and retained the No. 1 test spot too. Generally, everyone congratulates the players on their success. Some also include the coaches in their wishes. And a handful few also thank the support staff - the physios, conditioning coaches, and so many more... I have hardly found anyone who openly acknowledges the role of the analysts in their success stories. It is clearly evident that cricket has evolved over the years. It is no longer a game to be played just on the ground. Gone are the days of “See ball, hit ball”... Any series or match starts way before we actually see the first ball bowled. With the intrusion of technology, there is a plethora of data available for teams to study. Preparation for each series is unique. Analysts, coaches and players sit for hours together studying footage of key players. Huge amount of time is invested in breaking down a player ...